[carehow]

I've just finished my AS year, and in our college we have to apply to Universities in January and have your PS done by the start of November. I'm really heavily thinking about applying to the University of Manchester. I want to go because the things studied in the course I want to study (Politics), look really interesting.

However, apparently because Manchester's night-life is so awesome most people just want to go out clubbing and get drunk? I'm more a LAN-party, D&D, roleplay, etc, person myself. Will there be any sort of events for someone like me, or am I best avoiding Manchester? Also, how good is the folk-music and independent cinema scene here?

Secondly, I was looking at student satisfaction scores for Politics. The percentages are still fairly high, but are a bit low compared to universities in similar league-table areas as Manchester. What's that about?

Thanks!!

[Acei]

(Original post by carehow)
However, apparently because Manchester's night-life is so awesome most people just want to go out clubbing and get drunk? I'm more a LAN-party, D&D, roleplay, etc, person myself. Will there be any sort of events for someone like me, or am I best avoiding Manchester? Also, how good is the folk-music and independent cinema scene here?

The universities most popular society is the Gaming society ( https://www.facebook.com/gamingsociety ) and the University also has a very active RPG society which some of my friends attend so you shouldn't have any problems finding people with similar interests and each of the societies holds very regular events/meetings .

For independent cinema Manchester has The Cornerhouse ( http://www.cornerhouse.org/ ) which is very popular for art and film. I'm not sure on the music front unfortunately.

I'm afraid I can't answer regarding the Politics satisfaction rating as I don't know any people studying purely politics. Those who I met studying joint-degrees in politics/history seemed happy with their course though.

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by carehow)
I've just finished my AS year, and in our college we have to apply to Universities in January and have your PS done by the start of November.

You really want to get your application in as soon as possible. I know they say that you will receive equal consideration up until the deadline, but in reality they start giving offers in around October (certainly that's when I got my offer for Politics BA(Econ)) and so after that the number of offers that can be given out will be limited. For your own good, it's best to get your application in as soon as possible.

However, apparently because Manchester's night-life is so awesome most people just want to go out clubbing and get drunk? I'm more a LAN-party, D&D, roleplay, etc, person myself. Will there be any sort of events for someone like me, or am I best avoiding Manchester? Also, how good is the folk-music and independent cinema scene here?

There's a lot of going out and getting drunk, but that's the case whichever university you go to. Even the Royal Agricultural College (in Cirencester, which is a tiny market town in deepest darkest Gloucestershire) involves getting drunk. However, there are plenty of people at Manchester who prefer other ways of enjoying themselves. UMSU has a list of societies (sports are listed elsewhere, on the Athletic Union page) here but unfortunately the website is currently in the process of being updated, and it doesn't have all (or even half) of the societies on there.

If going out isn't your thing, then you'd probably be the sort of person that would prefer a hall in Victoria Park.

Secondly, I was looking at student satisfaction scores for Politics. The percentages are still fairly high, but are a bit low compared to universities in similar league-table areas as Manchester. What's that about?

As I said, I'm doing Politics BA(Econ), and TBH I've always been entirely satisfied with my politics modules.

[carehow]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)


You really want to get your application in as soon as possible. I know they say that you will receive equal consideration up until the deadline, but in reality they start giving offers in around October (certainly that's when I got my offer for Politics BA(Econ)) and so after that the number of offers that can be given out will be limited. For your own good, it's best to get your application in as soon as possible.

Thank-you so much for your reply! Don't think I don't appreciate the rest of the advice by only replying to this bit BTW. That's really worrying! My college has really tight deadline system, in a way that they don't let students apply through them (as in, formally proof-reading personal statements and giving advice regarding them, along with they have taught personal statement sessions every week that I'd miss if I wrote it early) if you have it done early or past the deadline.

Now I'm really freaked out!! Do I take all their support and advice and hand it in by the deadline, or do I "do it alone" with the help of a few subject teachers and TSR??

[carehow]

(Original post by Acei)
The universities most popular society is the Gaming society ( https://www.facebook.com/gamingsociety ) and the University also has a very active RPG society which some of my friends attend so you shouldn't have any problems finding people with similar interests and each of the societies holds very regular events/meetings .

For independent cinema Manchester has The Cornerhouse ( http://www.cornerhouse.org/ ) which is very popular for art and film. I'm not sure on the music front unfortunately.

I'm afraid I can't answer regarding the Politics satisfaction rating as I don't know any people studying purely politics. Those who I met studying joint-degrees in politics/history seemed happy with their course though.

Thanks, it's a huge relief to know there's a gaming society and an independent cinema!

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by carehow)
Thank-you so much for your reply! Don't think I don't appreciate the rest of the advice by only replying to this bit BTW. That's really worrying! My college has really tight deadline system, in a way that they don't let students apply through them (as in, formally proof-reading personal statements and giving advice regarding them, along with they have taught personal statement sessions every week that I'd miss if I wrote it early) if you have it done early or past the deadline.

Now I'm really freaked out!! Do I take all their support and advice and hand it in by the deadline, or do I "do it alone" with the help of a few subject teachers and TSR??

I'm a little bit sketchy on the finer details of UCAS applications, so it might be a good idea to post in the Applications & UCAS subforum on TSR.

However, with the help of the TSR PS Help service (where only people like me, who are at uni / have graduated, can see them & help you - so no risk of plagiarism), the help of a subject teacher (ideally one who knows about what makes a good PS!) and a reference from a subject teacher, then I'm not aware of a reason why you couldn't apply independently. However, getting a subject teacher on board to write a reference might be the hardest bit, as the college may not like the teacher doing that.

Alternatively, even if you wouldn't want to go there / think you would get a straight rejection, could you include an application for Oxford / Cambridge as one of your five choices? As the deadline for Oxbridge applications is October 15th, the college would have to get your application in by that point, and of course the applications for all your other universities would go in at the same time. It's not ideal, but it would boost your chances of getting an offer from the other four universities.

[carehow]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)
I'm a little bit sketchy on the finer details of UCAS applications, so it might be a good idea to post in the Applications & UCAS subforum on TSR.

However, with the help of the TSR PS Help service (where only people like me, who are at uni / have graduated, can see them & help you - so no risk of plagiarism), the help of a subject teacher (ideally one who knows about what makes a good PS!) and a reference from a subject teacher, then I'm not aware of a reason why you couldn't apply independently. However, getting a subject teacher on board to write a reference might be the hardest bit, as the college may not like the teacher doing that.

Alternatively, even if you wouldn't want to go there / think you would get a straight rejection, could you include an application for Oxford / Cambridge as one of your five choices? As the deadline for Oxbridge applications is October 15th, the college would have to get your application in by that point, and of course the applications for all your other universities would go in at the same time. It's not ideal, but it would boost your chances of getting an offer from the other four universities.

Thanks for the advice. Now you've said that, I could do the personal statement easily probably. I just need to beg someone for a reference... I don't even know if they'd do that, as they get all your subject teachers to write a bit and your form tutor to sum up. I'm really worried now!!

Also, my college physically don't allow you to apply for Oxbridge if you're not predicted all As and are on their Oxbridge program! =s (They send you a message saying they think you're Oxbridge material in the middle of the AS year, and only if you have one of those and sign up to it do they let you apply through them.)

edit: I just checked, they send them off in December not January! But if you got an offer in October, December doesn't sound much better than January. =s Sorry for bugging you with this BTW!

[Origami Bullets]

(Original post by carehow)
Thanks for the advice. Now you've said that, I could do the personal statement easily probably. I just need to beg someone for a reference... I don't even know if they'd do that, as they get all your subject teachers to write a bit and your form tutor to sum up. I'm really worried now!!

Also, my college physically don't allow you to apply for Oxbridge if you're not predicted all As and are on their Oxbridge program! =s (They send you a message saying they think you're Oxbridge material in the middle of the AS year, and only if you have one of those and sign up to it do they let you apply through them.)

edit: I just checked, they send them off in December not January! But if you got an offer in October, December doesn't sound much better than January. =s Sorry for bugging you with this BTW!

I assume you're not on their Oxbridge programme then. You'll have to get some (better informed) guidance about how to apply independently, to work out whether it would be a suitable option for you. Whilst it is standard practice for all your subject teachers to write something about you, and your form tutor to sum up, I'm not aware of anything that says that has to be the case. Therefore, it may be possible to persuade a subject teacher (ideally Politics) to write you a reference that includes stuff about having excellent attendance, being involved in college life etc. etc.

Do you have any idea what your college's record is like on getting applicants into the universities that they want to go to? Any idea of average number of offers per applicant? Or just a general feel for it from talking to people in the year above you?

Don't forget that even if it doesn't pan out, and you don't get the offers that you want, then you can always take a gap year and reapply. I took an unexpected gap year (not due to a lack of offers), and (however angry / annoyed I was about it when it first came to light) it was one of the best things that ever happened to me

PS you're not bugging me!

[carehow]

(Original post by Origami Bullets)
I assume you're not on their Oxbridge programme then. You'll have to get some (better informed) guidance about how to apply independently, to work out whether it would be a suitable option for you. Whilst it is standard practice for all your subject teachers to write something about you, and your form tutor to sum up, I'm not aware of anything that says that has to be the case. Therefore, it may be possible to persuade a subject teacher (ideally Politics) to write you a reference that includes stuff about having excellent attendance, being involved in college life etc. etc.

Do you have any idea what your college's record is like on getting applicants into the universities that they want to go to? Any idea of average number of offers per applicant? Or just a general feel for it from talking to people in the year above you?

Don't forget that even if it doesn't pan out, and you don't get the offers that you want, then you can always take a gap year and reapply. I took an unexpected gap year (not due to a lack of offers), and (however angry / annoyed I was about it when it first came to light) it was one of the best things that ever happened to me

PS you're not bugging me!

My college has an excellent record of getting students into Uni - it's somewhere in the 90% region that people get in, but I don't know how many offers the typical student gets - just that, apart from our horrible track record with Physiotherapy, most students get the places they were hoping for, that's all I know. It's a selective pseudo-grammar-school type college. But I'm still nervous, they tend to put all their effort into the Oxbridge and Medicine applicants, and I feel like I don't belong there so I wouldn't be surprised if I don't get any offers.

I think my form tutor would be willing to listen to me about getting my application in early, and with her "permission" I think my politics teacher would write a reference (they're pretty close and he doesn't like going against what's already been laid down). But without her I don't think this will get any go-ahead, and there's such strict regulations here that I don't know how likely she'll be to say yes.

And however silly it sounds, I hadn't thought of the gap-year option, so thank you for that!! I was really worried about Uni but now I'm a lot more relaxed.